Avatar

A Swedish heavy metal band with Top 40 success on both sides of the Atlantic, Avatar was formed in Gothenburg by guitarist Jonas Jarlsby and drummer John Alfredsson. The band launched in 2001 and released a collection of demos, Personal Observations, in 2004. An introductory EP titled 4 Reasons to Die followed later that year, with the full-length debut album Thoughts of No Tomorrow appearing in 2006. With a lineup that also featured vocalist Johannes Eckerström, bassist Henrik Sandelin, and guitarist Simon Andersson, Avatar cracked the Top 40 with its second album, Schlact, which climbed to Number 27 on the Swedish charts in 2007. The self-titled Avatar peaked at Number 36 in 2009, while 2012's Black Waltz climbed to Number 25. Already a well-known name in Europe's death metal community, Avatar began enjoying commercial success in America with the band's fifth album, Hail the Apocalypse, which appeared in 2014. The record peaked at Number 6 on the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums chart, with the single "Bloody Angel" climbing to Number 25 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart. 2016's Feathers & Flesh produced three additional Mainstream Rock hits, including the Number 16 hit "The Eagle Has Landed," and Avatar finished the year by being named "Best New Talent" at the 2016 Epiphone Revolver Music Awards. Shortly thereafter, the group was named "Breakthrough Band" at the 2017 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. Another album, Avatar Country, was released in 2018, with Hunter Gatherer appearing in 2020. "Colossus," a track from the latter record, peaked at Number 16 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, matching 2016's "The Eagle Has Landed" as the band's highest-charting single on American radio. The hits continued in 2021, when Avatar released non-album singles like "Going Hunting" and "Barren Cloth Mother."

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